Cameron speech and debate team hits the road for competitive season

Cameron University’s speech and debate team has been on the road testing its skills in interpretive and debate competitions. The team kicked off the season at the 51st Annual U.S. Air Force Academy tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo., facing 36 schools from 15 states and three countries. They followed that competition with a tournament at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan.

In the debate competitions, Smith was the fourth place speaker in Novice NPDA (Parliamentary debate), and McQuarters was the seventh place speaker in Lincoln Douglas debate. Overall, the team finished 15th in Debate Sweepstakes.

In Individual Events, Wright claimed second in Dramatic Interpretation, Price finished third in Programmed Oral Interpretation, Pierce and Coleman ranked fourth in Duo Interpretation, and Sanders placed sixth in Prose Interpretation. The team finished seventh overall in Individual Event Sweepstakes.

In Combined Individual Events and Debate Sweepstakes, the Aggies ranked 11th among the 37 teams entered in the tournament.

“This was an incredible start to our competition season,” says Sarah Collins, Director of Forensics. “Team members worked very hard to prepare for this tournament, and I am incredibly proud of their results.”

The Bethel College tournament consisted only of Individual Events. Wright made it to the final round in Dramatic Interpretation and finished sixth.

“The Bethel tournament is extremely competitive and is a preview of nationals,” Collins says. “I am so proud that Katelynn reached the final round. That achievement bodes well for her future competitions. Although other competitors didn’t make it to the final rounds, Cameron’s first year students performed extraordinarily well in preliminary rounds against seasoned competitors. They gained valuable experience that allows them to hone their performance skills as they prepare for the next competition.”